The Brooklyn Nets, from left, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry, pose for photographers with their new jerseys during an NBA basketball news conference, Thursday, July 18, 2013 at Barlcays Center in New York. The Nets introduced the trio they acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In a bittersweet press conference at the Barclays Center to introduce them as members of the Brooklyn Nets, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry spoke about leaving behind the Boston Celtics and what it will take to bring a championship to Brooklyn.

The Nets opened the press conference with a video montage listing the accomplishments of all three players. The entirety of the presser, treated as an extravagant celebration for Brooklyn – loud applause followed many of the players' answers – was featured on a big screen outside of the Barclays Center for those who couldn’t make it into the building.

The three new Nets sat alongside head coach Jason Kidd and general manager Billy King. Toward the end of the press conference, owner Mikhail Prokhorov made a surprise appearance to pose for pictures with his new stars. The Nets sold jerseys and t-shirts of their new stars in the team shop, and yes, the sight of Pierce holding a different-colored jersey for photographers was strange.

Pierce and Garnett spoke about the difficulty of leaving Boston but understand the Nets provide them with a better opportunity to compete. The former, a small forward who climbed to second on the all-time Celtics scoring list over 15 years with the team, revealed the full spectrum of emotions he faces after leaving the only NBA franchise he’s ever known.

“You know, it’s tough,” he said, “when you’ve been in a situation like me for 15 years, and you come to an organization, the Brooklyn Nets. But when you look at what they’re trying to do here, win a championship, bring in the pieces necessary – new arena, new owners, new excitement – it really brings a little bit of excitement.

“Obviously I would have loved to end my career in Boston, but that day and age is probably over with, a lot of players ending their careers in one city. I just, when the trade happened you felt excited, especially with Kevin and Jason coming along (to make) the situation, not only for me but for each other, a little more comfortable. And the ultimate drive is winning a championship. Obviously Boston is going in a different direction and at this point in our careers, we’re championship-driven. We’ve made a lot of money in our careers, won a number of awards, and I think at this point right now we’re all about winning a championship. Brooklyn, we feel, gives us the best opportunity.”

Pierce didn’t secure a championship in Boston until he had Garnett’s help. During six seasons with the Celtics, the 7-footer morphed from a power forward into a center; an MVP candidate into a supporting (albeit still powerful) piece; a superstar chided for his failure to lead deep playoff runs into an NBA champion whose contributions on both sides of the court were recognized in full.

Like Pierce, Garnett said leaving Boston is tough but he understands why his path had to diverge from the organization’s. Opening his first response with, “What’s up, Brooklyn?”, Garnett echoed his teammate’s sentiments.

“Very similar to what Paul said, I think he summed it up,” said Garnett. “It’s unfortunate that we have to obviously move from Boston, but I feel like both sides are going in different directions. For me, one of the major reasons I decided to come here was because the bones of this. I feel like adding what you see up here, with the bones of what they have already, with Brook (Lopez), Deron (Williams), Joe (Johnson) and the other pieces they have here, I feel this gives us the best option to win again, to win it all. I’m embracing this opportunity, my family’s embracing this opportunity, we’re looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Celtics agreed to trade the three veterans on draft night, but the deal – which sent Pierce, Garnett, Terry and D.J. White to Brooklyn for Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks and three first-round picks – didn’t become official until July 12. White and Joseph have both been waived by their respective teams already after the trade, but Pierce, Garnett and Terry are expected to help Brooklyn contend next season.

“To be able to take another journey with these two outstanding gentleman right next to me (Pierce and Garnett) is just an honor,” said Terry. “I’ve been in Atlanta, Dallas, Boston. And now to be able to call Brooklyn my home, I’m just very blessed and honored. And ready.”

“I think we’re going to be right up there with the best of them,” added Pierce. “Right now you talk about Miami obviously, they’re the champs. You look at what Chicago’s doing, Indiana, and I think you really have to take a close look at what we’ve been able to put together. We put this type of talent on the floor. In order for it to come together, for us to be one of those top teams, that’s what has to happen. I think with me, Kevin and JET, along with Jason (Kidd), we don’t have any egos. We want to be one of those teams, and we feel like with the talent we have, we’re definitely going to compete in the Eastern Conference and hopefully a championship.”

The three new Nets said they’ll try to preach sacrifice to their younger teammates. But after becoming the face of the Boston Celtics, Pierce said he hasn’t fully come to terms with the move.

“It hasn’t really sunk in. I think it’s really starting to sink in as we speak, just being in this arena,” he said. “I saw my jersey up in the locker room, and it’s like you saw the trade and it was like, okay there’s a trade, but for me to actually be here now looking for a place to live, being in this arena, trying to get to know my way around the city, it’s really starting to sink in now that this has become real.

"I’m no longer a Boston Celtic. I’m a Brooklyn Net. That’s what it is right now. It’s business, at some point we all have to move on. I’m here to try to create some kind of legacy here in Brooklyn.”